YouTube TV Expands Nationwide Ahead of Super Bowl

YouTube TV, the video giant’s bid to topple its cable and satellite rivals, is expanding nationwide on Wednesday.

The service, which runs $40 a month and lets subscribers stream the four major networks and several cable channels, including ESPN, CNN and TNT, already reached the top 100 markets in the U.S. YouTube TV’s expansion add 95 markets — including Reno, Nevada, and Boise, Idaho — boosting coverage from about 85 percent to 98 percent of the country.

Since launching nearly two year ago, YouTube has touted its live TV service as a cheaper and better alternative to traditional TV providers. The service lets users watch on their television, mobile, desktop and tablet screens and offers unlimited recording. Each YouTube TV subscription comes with six accounts.

The new markets come online just a week before the Super Bowl, which is set to air on CBS on February 3.

YouTube TV has looked to attract sports fans in the past, acting as the lead sponsor on ABC/ESPN’s Saturday Night NBA broadcasts. YouTube TV has Fox Sports, NBA TV and offers feeds of local teams, while charging an extra fee for NBA League Pass and MLB.TV.

Aside from the stalwart cable and satellite companies, YouTube TV is also battling several streaming competitors. Hulu with Live TV, which also costs $40 a month, hit 1 million subscribers in September. AT&T’s DirecTV Now has 1.8 million subscribers and Sling TV paces the field with 2.5 million customers.

A rep for YouTube declined to share an update on how many subscribers YouTube TV currently has; the service had 300,000 subscribers at this time last year.

16 Favorite New LGBTQ TV Characters in 2018, From 'Riverdale' to the Cast of 'Pose' (Photos)

Whether they're a fresh face or someone we've obsessed over since Season 1, TheWrap has put together a list of new and notable LGBTQ TV characters we got to know a little more in #20GayTeen.

Netflix, CW and FX

The cast of "Pose"

As reported by TheWrap, Season 1 of FX’s “Pose” featured a record five trans actors in series regular roles: MJ Rodriguez, Indya Moore, Dominique Jackson, Hailie Sahar and Angelica Ross. “Pose” captures New York in the 1980s through the lens of different subgroups, including the House of Evangelista, which houses LGBTQ youth in crisis.

At the Beverly Hilton on Dec. 3, the cast of “Pose” and executive producer Ryan Murphy appeared at the Trevor Project’s TrevorLIVE LA 2018 gala to accept the Hero Award for their positive influence on the LGBTQ youth.

JoJo Whilden/FX

Mark Healy in "The Conners" (Ames McNamara)

During “The Conners” premiere, Darlene’s son confides in his grandfather — played by John Goodman — that they are struggling to choose between two boys to sit with on the bus. Mark is sure that if they choose to sit with one and not the other, that means they "like like" them. While initially not sure if he could help, Dan saves the day by creating a pro-con list of each boy.

ABC

Theodora Crain in "The Haunting of Hill House" (Kate Siegel)

The middle child in the Netflix horror series opens up to her siblings about her sexuality at a wedding party when she's caught hooking up with a bridesmaid. Theo and her siblings don't linger too much on what just happened, probably because there are bigger fish to fry for the Crain family.

The complicated storylines that bring Versace and Cunanan together on the day of Versace's murder aren't played up for laughs or trivialized. Instead, their stories helped bring to light LGBT discrimination in the criminal justice system and the overall view of the gay community in the '90s.

In "Grey's" 15th season, the show introduced its first openly gay male surgeon and first gay male romance with newcomer Dr. Nico Kim and intern Dr. Levi Schmitt. The romance allowed the show to explore what it is like for a once thought to be straight Schmitt to realize he could fall for someone of his own sex.

ABC

Mr. Gallant in "American Horror Story: Apocalypse" (Evan Peters)

The "AHS" vet plays a 30-something Santa Monica hairstylist who learns Los Angeles is about to get hit by a nuclear weapon. Later in the season, Gallant would have sexual tension with half-human/half-ghost Michal Langdon.

FX

Ambrose Spellman in "Sabrina" (Chance Perdomo)

There's two things we know off the bat about the warlock: he is openly pansexual and is incapable of leaving the Spellman house because of a spell cast on him. Ambrose tries to sneak out in season 1 to meet up with a prospective lover to no avail. Ambrose would later have a fling with Connor Kemper's ex-boyfriend Luke.

Netflix

Susie Putnam in "Sabrina" (Lachlan Watson)

Susie (pictured left) is bullied for being non-binary by the high school football players and is helped along the way by friends Sabrina and Roz (pictured right). Later in the series, Susie finds the ability to communicate with the supernatural.

In Season 2, Southside serpent Toni Topaz becomes Jughead's closest friend, protecting him when the serpents question his motives to join the group run by his father. Later in the season and into season 3, Topaz strikes a romance with Cheryl Blossom, becoming known as the power couple "Choni."

CW

Villanelle in "Killing Eve" (Jodie Comer)

Villanelle is an assassin who becomes intertwined with MI6 agent Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) when Eve is instructed to track her down. The two become obsessed with each other, so much so that the animosity toward each other becomes sexually charged.

BBC America

Valencia Perez in "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" (Gabrielle Ruiz)

Perez begins to have feelings for a client in her party planning business Beth in Season 4. This was a change for fans, who only knew that Valencia was once in a rocky 15-year relationship with Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III).

Mel Vera in "Charmed" (Melonie Diaz)

In the reboot, the charmed one (pictured right) has a relationship with former homicide detective Niko Harmada (Ellen Tamaki). Mel is later dumped by Niko, who dumped her fiancee to be with Mel in the first place.

Nomi Segal in "Grown-Ish" (Emily Arlook)

Nomi is Zoey's (Yara Shahidi) best friend at college. Zoey struggles to come out as bisexual to her parents, despite the acceptance of her closest friends.

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Ryan Murphy and Netflix have led the way in LGBTQ representation with shows like “American Horror Story” and “The Haunting of Hill House”

Whether they're a fresh face or someone we've obsessed over since Season 1, TheWrap has put together a list of new and notable LGBTQ TV characters we got to know a little more in #20GayTeen.